What fun to grow your own sponges! Luffa gourds can be used for exfoliating and cleaning your skin, scrubbing dishes, and cleaning the barbecue grill! When they are harvested young at 4-6 long, they are also a sweet, tasty vegetable that can be stir-fried, sauteed, or cooked with meats or tofu just as you would zucchini squash or okra. They can also be sliced or diced in a salad like a cucumber. Mature gourd seeds can be roasted. The young flowers and foliage can be cooked for greens (great with butter and a pinch of curry). Crop time is 110 days.
